


See You Later, Alligator

by hollyhock13



Series: Whumptober 2019 [25]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics), Detective Comics (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Bruce Is Trying His Best, Child Neglect, Emotional Hurt, Gen, Jack and Janet Drake’s Bad Parenting, Poor Tim Drake, Prompt: Abandonment, Whumptober 2019, the kid is messed up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-29 17:57:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21414298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyhock13/pseuds/hollyhock13
Summary: Tim prefers it when he’s alone
Relationships: Jack Drake & Janet Drake & Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne
Series: Whumptober 2019 [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1503512
Comments: 9
Kudos: 304





	See You Later, Alligator

**Author's Note:**

> SHE LIVES! No but really, I do have plans to finish this challenge, okay? I swear.

He’s barely a kid when they leave him for the first time. The nanny knows his name, knows the phone numbers in case of an emergency, but not much else. She doesn’t know his favorite toys or how to tuck him in so that he doesn’t get out of bed and wander.

Then again, his parents don’t either.

They pat his head and give him kisses, and then they’re gone.

Tim, ever the good child, always quiet, rages. He screams and cries and begs for them to return. His nanny calls them after three hours of this, but gets no response. They’re in the air, after all.

She tries to calm him, ply him with snacks or toys or TV. Anything to make him calm. Nothing works, but to leave him alone for a while.

The next day he is back to normal, if much quieter and more reserved than before. But that becomes their new normal.

* * *

“You’re more than old enough to be on your own, Timothy.”

“What if I get...” Tim trails off a little. He can’t tell them he’ll be lonely. “Bored?”

“Can’t you entertain yourself, boy?” His father says from his place in the hallway as his mother places a few last minute items in her suitcase.

“...of course.”

“Then that’s settled. You can spend time with a friend if you’re lonely, but no one in the house while we’re gone, you hear?”

Tim doesn’t ask how he’s supposed to get to a friend’s house if he’s alone. “Yes, sir.”

They’re gone within the hour and the house is quiet, the way Tim almost prefers it by now.

* * *

Tim goes over the list of rules and reminders as his parents watch. Janet scrutinizes him as he does it. 

“Do you have any questions?”

“Not really,” Tim doesn’t shrug, even though it’s exactly the same as always. “Pretty standard, isn’t it?”

Jack laughs as though Tim is joking. “Yeah, it is. You know the drill, don’t you?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Jack ruffles his hair as Tim stands stiff by the door. He hates this part. Can’t they just leave already?

“And you’re alright by yourself?”

Why is Janet dragging this out? It’s not like he hasn’t been alone since he was ten. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. We’ll be home before you know it.”

He hopes not. “I know.”

“Good boy.”

* * *

Alfred pulls one last stitch through to finish closing the laceration on Tim’s side. Bruce hovers nearby but tries to disguise it by looming.

Tim just tries to keep the tears from overflowing. He doesn’t need pampering from anyone, least of all his boss.

“Are you quite sure you can’t stay the night, Master Timothy?”

“Yeah, sorry, Alfie. I have a test in the morning.” A quiz, actually, and this is the one class he’s acing, but no need to tell Alfred that. 

The butler doesn’t huff, but it’s a bear thing. He closes the first aid kit a bit more roughly than necessary.

Bruce leans closer to examine the neatly wrapped wound. “Will you be alright hiding this from your parents? We can come up with a cover story for them.”

“Oh, they won’t notice. They’re not very attentive at the best of times.” He doesn’t mention that they aren’t in the country and won’t be for a while. Or that those are the best of times. “I’ll be fine. You can look at it again when I come over tomorrow.”

“You can’t go out tomorrow, not with a wound like that,” Bruce tells him easily.

Tim frowns. “I know I made a mistake today, but I’ll be better tomorrow, honest!”

Bruce frowns in return. “Tim, I’m not upset with you. Accidents happen. I just won’t have you injuring yourself further by putting yourself in harm’s way while already injured.”

Tim stops his argument mid-formation. “Oh, that makes more sense. Then I’ll see you when I see you, I guess?” He hops off the table where Alfred was stitching him up.

“I’ll see you when I see you,” Bruce echoes. 

**Author's Note:**

> There’s more to this, but...eh. We’ll see if and when it gets finished.


End file.
